Man sentenced in two cases gets 8 years probation

CANON CITY — A Florence man has been sentenced to eight years intense supervised probation and wellness court in connection with two 2013 cases, one of which involved a kidnapping.

Nicholas Colleary Hiltz

Nicholas C. Hiltz, 27, pleaded guilty to felony aggravated robbery and misdemeanor theft. He is accused of a March 2013 break-in at DiNardos Sunnyside Farm Market in Canon City and breaking into Kwik Stop No. 9 in Florence last April where he took a manager hostage.

Dr. Mark Diamond of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo initially found Hiltz incompetent to proceed in court because Hiltz had gone off medication for a seizure disorder he sustained in part due to carbon monoxide poisoning at age 4.

“At the time of the crime he was not taking his medication and had problems in terms of clarity of thoughts and impulse control,” Diamond testified.